Anonymous wrote:Every family makes this calculus to some degree. Why aren’t families at Whitman sending their kids to BCC? Why aren’t families at BCC sending their kids to Wheaton? Why aren’t families at charters in DC sending their kids to Eastern HS?

Cute how you don’t ask why families in Wheaton don’t send their kids to BCC

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

NP. I grew up in one of those school districts and we lived in another one when our kids were in early ES. They do an amazing job with special ed.

Special ed is easier when it isn't paired with farms and when there are no ELL kids needing resources

All of this negging is funny. Many of us just want a good education for our kids. And that requires being in a school that focuses more on enrichment rather than remediation, whether that is public or private.

+1

Where are the backhanded compliments? I'm confused.

Every family makes this calculus to some degree. Why aren’t families at Whitman sending their kids to BCC? Why aren’t families at BCC sending their kids to Wheaton? Why aren’t families at charters in DC sending their kids to Eastern HS?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

NP. I grew up in one of those school districts and we lived in another one when our kids were in early ES. They do an amazing job with special ed.

Special ed is easier when it isn't paired with farms and when there are no ELL kids needing resources

All of this negging is funny. Many of us just want a good education for our kids. And that requires being in a school that focuses more on enrichment rather than remediation, whether that is public or private.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

NP. I grew up in one of those school districts and we lived in another one when our kids were in early ES. They do an amazing job with special ed.

Special ed is easier when it isn't paired with farms and when there are no ELL kids needing resources

All of this negging is funny. Many of us just want a good education for our kids. And that requires being in a school that focuses more on enrichment rather than remediation, whether that is public or private.

For kids who would be in the middle or bottom of the class at public, private makes a HUGE difference. The lowest level classes offered at a public high school are an absolute joke, and your kid will not be pushed academically in them. Put that kid in a private high school that will take them, possibly a diocesan Catholic one, and they’ll shape up in no time. They’ll have no choice not to work hard.

If you’re a high flyer in public who will be willing & able to take classes possibly not offered in private, such as multivariable calculus & post-AP classes, that’s a different story. Public is probably better in that case, and a big public at that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

So the schools around here are not as economically segregated as you'd prefer? Those great NJ and New England districts are predicated on lines drawn to include only those the township wants included, and decades of home valuations based on district lines have only made the differences starker

NJ does equal funding for school districts (due to the Abbott ruling), CT does not, even though both have the town-school district setup

MA seems to be not quite as segregated as those states

PA is pretty bad in that regard, as is CT

Equal funding means very little when the township doesn't have to deal with high need kids

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

So the schools around here are not as economically segregated as you'd prefer? Those great NJ and New England districts are predicated on lines drawn to include only those the township wants included, and decades of home valuations based on district lines have only made the differences starker

NJ does equal funding for school districts (due to the Abbott ruling), CT does not, even though both have the town-school district setup

MA seems to be not quite as segregated as those states

PA is pretty bad in that regard, as is CT

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Some possible reasons:

-Those publics are huge
-Only super talented, experienced athletes can meaningfully participate in sports at those publics, versus kids getting to play, say, soccer or lacrosse for the very first time in 9th grade at a small private school
-Not every kid is a highly self-motivated, resourceful go getter who can succeed in a gigantic public school
-Mandatory 3 seasons of sports at private
-Privates are better at teaching writing
-At many privates, 99% (if not 100%!) of the class will go onto a 4-year college right after high school. At such privates, even all the kids in the lowest-levels of classes offered are college-bound
-Smaller class sizes in private
-Religious or ideological reasons
-Some privates focus on areas like typing, cursive, table manners, interacting with adults in the community

This is an excellent list. Only thing I'd add is a community of like minded parents. Of course there are active, involve parents in public but there are tons that are not. In private the community is often tight, supportive, actively involved. Which makes the whole experience better.

But a lot of privates have fewer electives and less robust course offerings. I hated my private school growing up and envied the students at the good public school in my neighborhood with many more offerings and a less claustrophobic atmosphere. My parents were clueless because they felt so much more comfortable and happy with the private because it was considered good and the school really catered to the parent community. What they found "cozy," I found stifling. I did fine and had friends but just felt so constrained. My younger sister felt the same and convinced them to let her go to the public HS and she loved it and thrived. So I think it depends, but I think everyone should be aware that private schools tend to cater to parent opinion and to making parents feel good about the school (even if it's not fully the on-the-ground reality for the kids). It's easy for parents to have a bias that if they are paying for something it must be worth it and to not attend carefully to what their kids need and want.
Likewise, though based on my own experience I'm a bit biased against private schools, I need to be alert that if my kid was floundering in a large public class to realize that they are not me and might thrive in a smaller private school.

Anonymous wrote:
Some possible reasons:

-Those publics are huge
-Only super talented, experienced athletes can meaningfully participate in sports at those publics, versus kids getting to play, say, soccer or lacrosse for the very first time in 9th grade at a small private school
-Not every kid is a highly self-motivated, resourceful go getter who can succeed in a gigantic public school
-Mandatory 3 seasons of sports at private
-Privates are better at teaching writing
-At many privates, 99% (if not 100%!) of the class will go onto a 4-year college right after high school. At such privates, even all the kids in the lowest-levels of classes offered are college-bound
-Smaller class sizes in private
-Religious or ideological reasons
-Some privates focus on areas like typing, cursive, table manners, interacting with adults in the community

+1 to a lot of this list. I had one at Whitman and one at private - wanted many of these things for private school kid.

But I do feel loss of community - community was much better at Whitman/neighborhood and closeby - private is harder because most privates draw from a larger geographic area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

For my family, yes they are. Hence the “constituency” comment. My kids need acceleration & enrichment at school. They already have the basics covered.

If my kids needed ESOL, special needs instruction, services and school-provided: food, medical services, physicals, clothing, immigration assistance and emotional/trauma support, then a school district focused on academic competitiveness (like the ones I listed above) would not be “good.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

NP. I grew up in one of those school districts and we lived in another one when our kids were in early ES. They do an amazing job with special ed.

Special ed is easier when it isn't paired with farms and when there are no ELL kids needing resources

It's also special ed with an engaged family who is almost certainly pouring many of their own private resources into the kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

NP. I grew up in one of those school districts and we lived in another one when our kids were in early ES. They do an amazing job with special ed.

Special ed is easier when it isn't paired with farms and when there are no ELL kids needing resources

I think 13:20 had a good list but I also think some people have lots of cash to spare and figure going to a school you apply to and pay for must be better than a school that’s free and takes everyone.

Basically a designer label for your kid’s education

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suburban public high schools around here may be good compared to, say, DCPS, but when I think “good public school,” I think of town-based school districts. I get the arguments for county-based ones, but in those, families like mine are not the main constituents.

I think of places like the Philly mainline towns; many in the NJ/NY/CT tristate area (such as Westport, Darien, Scarsdale, Jericho, Basking Ridge, Syosset, Greenwich and Bronxville); ones in MA such as Lexington and Newton and West Windsor Plainsboro in NJ.

Lots of rezoning around here, which I’m not a fan of.

Good schools and wealthy schools are not the same thing. Look at how a system does with special ed and ELL kids to define "good"

NP. I grew up in one of those school districts and we lived in another one when our kids were in early ES. They do an amazing job with special ed.